Akttficiai



July 3, 1923. I Re. 15,641

J. H. EMERY ARTIFICIAL FRUIT AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME O igi a Filed Jan. 24 192 1 INVENTOR 9- W UNITED-S In B. WY, 0! WOOD PAH, nw YO suitable manner,

Original n. 1,430,004,

To all'whcmitmay Be it known that I,

comm-n:

JAMES H. EMERY, a citizen of the United States, residin at Inwood Park, county of Nassau, and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Fruit and Methods of Producing Same, of which the followin is a specification.

his invention relates to artificial fruit and similar imitations of natural objects, as ornaments, and to a method of producing such ornaments.

The principal object of the invention is to produce hollow imitations of natural objects such as fruit, or the like, which so closely resemble the natural articles as to be visually indistinguishable therefrom.

Another object is to produce an article of the character described which will be comsiderable handling.

A further object is to provide a simple, quick and economical method of producing such ornaments.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent as the description progresses.

This application is filed as a continuation in part of :ipplicants co-pending application, Serial 0. 297,025, filed May 14, 1919. Various embodiments of the invention are Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of one form of mold suitable for carrying out the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an artificial p Fig. ap 1e;

ig. 4 is a similar view of an artificial peach, and

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section of the apple shown in Fig. 3. 1

In carrying out the invention, a suitable two-part mold or matrixof the natural object, to be imitated, is first produced in any but most desirably as described in applicants co-pending application heretofore referred to. Then a suitable quantity of any convenient thermo-plastic 3 is a similar view of an artificial I composition, such, for instance, as a mixture of paraflin and carnauba wax in temporarily fluid condition, is introduced into one of the mold members and the other memparatively inexpensive and at the same time durable and capable of withstanding eon-v illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which ew I Tgfl rrm- OFFICE.

' AB-TII'IOIAL ram m men or'raonucme sen dated November 21, 1922, Seth! in. 689,534, fled January M, 1m. Application for release fled Kay 28, 1988. Serial lb. 641,018.

ber united thereto that said composition is securely sealed within the cavity. The

solidified, by cooling, to retain its rotund shape-that is, the shape of the cavity itself corresponding to the shape of the original 'article. After the casting has cooled sufiicientl y to ensure solidifying ofthe thermoplastic material, the mold is separated and the casting removed. Any sli ht .burr2 or fin that mayhave been formed y the meetmg surfaces of the two mold members is then removed, by hand, or other suitable means, and the casting may then be finished in accordance with the nature of the object, an imitation of which is to be produced. In Fig. 1, there is shown a mold com rismg an upper member 1 and lower mem r 2 having interlockin members as at 3 to prevent the sliding 0 one mold member relative to the other. The mold is shown enclosed within the boxing 4, used in making the same, but which may be removed after the mold is complete and during its subsequent use.

When "uniformly colored fruit, such as oranges or plums, are being reproduced, it

or peaches, which are not of auniform color,,

the thermo-plastic material is mixed with suitable base color before being cast and other coloring matter is applied to the surface of the casting to imitate that of the natural object. v

In' producing an imitation of a fruit having a stem attached, it has been found best to remove the stem, while making the mold, and thereafter to drill at the correct location in the bottom mold 2, a recess, such as 5, of a' proximately thesame shape and size as t e natural stem. A small twig 6 may then be inserted in the reces 5 and the mold then filled with the thermo-plastic material, some of which will surround the twig, which is thereby made an integral part of the -reto produce a hollow casting or shell with the stem attached and results in a havin the same ellow color, as that foun near e stem an blow of a natural ap la. The fin or burr is removed and red co orin material is then applied to that portion the surface which is colored red in the natural article. As is well known, the red coloring of an apple is not solid and uniform but fine lines of --the underlying yellow are visiblethrough the red. In'order to imitate this coloring, it has been. found most de-'- sirable tofapply .the color in fluid rather than" dry form. ,While various fluids may be employed as a medium to carry the color, it has been found that ordinary white flour paste is the best medium. Thus, a quantity of red coloring-matter is mixed with flour paste and water'to the proper consistency and brightness, and when applied with. a soft-bristle brush, adheres well to the wax surface and gives a practically perfect imitation of the red color of a natural apple.

, As seen at 8 in Fig. the layer of coloringmatteris relatively thick at the equator of the apple and gradually thins out towards the stem and blow.

The color is allowed to dry and the stem and blow are then colored a dark brown, after which the whole apple is given a transparent protective coatin 7, which is most desirably accomplished lay immersing the same for a moment in a bath of molten transparent wax, a thin layer of which adheres to, and forms the protecting surface for the artificial fruit.

when this layer is formed of a material generally similar to that'of the casting, it will have substantially the same coeflicient of expansion and will, upon cooling, adhere securely thereto, and in fact forms therewith a substantially homogeneous structure whose surface is free-from cracks or other imperfections and which is extremely durable even coloring,

under considerable handling.

In .producing artificialpears, the process ofmaking the hollow casting is identical with that 'ust described. for the apple. The owever, is carried on somewhat since it is not desired to have any ellow grain showing through the red spots.

owever, 'the brilliancy of the red coloring must gradually diminish from the center of the red spot until the coloring merges with the yellow surface of the casting. To produce this result, finely ground dry Turkeyred is most desirably applied with a rather large brush, the bristles of which are compactly arranged in a circle. By gently tapping the pear at the place where the bright red should appear, collected .at that point and spatters out in all directions, gradually merging with the yellow base. The stem and blow are then colored the natural color and the r is dipped in a bath similar to that employed the dry color isz lensely 'uneu for the apples, the resulting protective coating of transparent wax servinfi'lto permanently fix the applied color.= imitat V peaches, the casting is made as previously described in the case of a ples and pens, withthe exception that no ole is drilled in .the lower portion 2 of the mold since no applied in 'the manner detive coating, itis necessary to imitate the j fuzzy surface of the natural article. This is done by. rubbing the surface with a suitably colored finely divided abrasive, preferably pumice-powder, a suflicient quantity of which adheres to the surface to closely imitate that of the natural article,'both in appearance and feeling.

There are a number of different thermoplasti'cmaterials which may be successfully employed in making the herein described castings or shells, and which when melted make a suitable bath in which to dip the colored castings to provide the transparent protective coating, but it has been found that the best results are obtained when a mixture of paraffin and carnauba wax, for example nineparts of parafiin to one part of carnauba is used.

The parafiin is comparative] and easy to obtain of a unif inexpensiveorm qualit but, by reason of its comparatively low me t .ing-point and other characteristics, it does,

not possess thefi ualities necessary to serve alone in the pro uction of an entirely satisfactory casting.

By the addition thereto,

however, of a harder wax-like substance having a substantially higher melting-point, such, for instance, as carnuaba wax, a casting of high quality and durability is produced.

While the invention has been described in connection with only a few of the many natural objects which are susceptible of-successful imitation, it is to be understood that the process described may be applied with appropriate modifications to produce hollow imitations of almost any small natural object. p

What .I claim is:

1. The method of producing a hollow imitation of an object which consists of charging a multiple part mold of the ob-- ject with a temporarily-fluid composition, next imparting a gyratory movement to the mold until the composition hasrsolidified, next removing the resultant casting from the mold, then applying color to the surface of the casting and thereafter di ing the colored casting in temporarilyvfl md transparent wax whereby a thin protective coating adheres to the surface of the casting, and then abrading the protective coating with powdered pumice.

2. The method of producing a hollow imitation of an object which consists of charging a multiple part mold of the object with a temporarily-fluid composition, next imparting a gyratory movement to the mold until the composition has solidified, next removing the resultant casting from the mold, thenv applying color to the surface of the casting, then applying a transparent protective coating tothe colored casting and thereafter slightly abrading the protective coating with a finely powdered abasive.

3. The method of producing a hollow imitation of an object which consists of charging a multiple part mold of the object with a temporarily-fluid composition, next imparting a gyratory movement to the mold until the compositionjhassolidified, next re- I moving the resultant?castingrzfrointhe mold,

the -,'s'urface of the y then applyingcolor W casting, then applyinga transparentprotective coating tojth'e colored; casting and thereafter abrading th'g protective coating pumice adhering to the coating.

4. The method of producing an imitation of an object'such as a fruit, consistingin ject with a temporarilyfluid mixture of a comparatively soft material such as paraflin mixed with a harder wax-like material "such as carnauba wax, next, forming a hollow casting of the mixture: by imparting move ment to the mold until the mixture has solidified, next removing the casting from the mold and applying ,color to the surface thereof, and thereafter applying to the stantially the same coefficient of expansion as the casting.

5. An imitation of a natural object comprising a continuous integral hollow casting of a composition composed of about 9 parts paraflin and 1 part carnauba wax.

6. An imitation of a natural-object such as a fruit, consisting of a casting formed of such as para'flin and a harder wax-like material such as carnauba wax, having on the and having a thin transparent coating of substantially the same coefficient of expansion as the casting; I

7. An imitation} of a natural object such as a fruit, consisting'o'f a continuous integral hollow casting formed of a mixture of paraffin and a harder wax like material-substantive y, having 00 or applied to the sur ace with finely powdered pumicefs ome of.' -the charging a multiple part "mold of the obcolored casting a protective coating of sub-Y a mixture of a comparatively soft material surface color to imitate the natural object,

tiall in the pro ortions of 9 to 1, res

thereof, and having a thin translucent coating of a material having substantlally the same coefiicient of expansion as the castin that of the casting.

9. An imitation of a natural object such as-a fruit, consisting of a body composed of a mixture of wax-like material comprising paraflin but of a substantially higher melting-point than parafiin, the surface of said body being provided with the desired coloring, and'the whole being provided with a thin translucent coating of a material having substantially the same coefficient of expansion as the body itself.

10. An imitation of a natural object comprising a body of wax having colored flour paste applied to the surface thereof.

11. An imitation ofa natural object comprising a continubus integral hollow casting of wax having color applied thereto and a transparent protective coating adhering to the surface of said casting, said protective coating being slightly abraded with pumice.-

. 12. An imitation of a natural object comprising a continuous integral hollow casting of wax having colorapplied thereto and a coating of transparent wax adhering to the surface of said colored casting, together with a dusting of pumice for an abrasive coating.

13. An imitation of a natural object comprising a body of wax having color applied thereto and a protective coating of transparent wax about said body, the surface of said protective coating being slightly abraid- 'ed with a finely powdered pumice. 14., An imitation of a natural object comprising a body of wax having color applied thereto and a protective coating of transparent wax about said body, the surface of said protective coating being abraded with finely powdered pumice, a thin dusting of said pumice adhering to said surface.

15. An imitation of a natural object such 'as a fruit, consisting of an integral hollow casting formed of a wax-like composition comprising paraflin and a material having a substantially higher melting-point than paraffin, the surface ofsaid casting having coloring matter to imitate the natural fruit, and the whole being provided with a thin translucent coating of a wax-like material having substantially the same. coeflicient of expansion as the casting.

JAMES H. EMERY. 

